Tag Archive for Invertical

Invertical Touch will see you switch your colour between black and white, opening up new routes. Can you find the portal home?

I’ve been very proud of my work with Invertical Touch so when friends ask if they can have a play of the game on their Android phone or whether I have it on my phone (Windows) it feels odd to say “no”. Building for Android and Windows Phone 8 is nice and easy with GameMaker so it isn’t a technical limitation, just there’s no plans for release of a paid version on these platforms.

However I’ve decided, well why not share the free version so yeah, I’ve released Invertical Touch Lite on Windows Phone 8 and Android! Whether we’ll see the paid version or not, I can’t say (not my call) but be sure to download the game and give it a go.

There’s about 15-30 minutes of gameplay, depending on how quickly you get to grips with the game with a variety of chapters to play.

During my time as a hobby game developer I have put together many quick projects but there’s one that I keep returning to.

It was 3 years ago today when I put together a very small prototype of Invertical. Strangely despite knowing that I wanted to do with the game with path finding puzzle gameplay, the prototype was heavily focused on jumping, despite being pretty awful to control (to be fair, this was an afternoon’s work!).

Those who played it liked the concept enough to encourage me to develop the game further.

A few months later I released the game but I’ve never been happy, making several updates and trying out new ideas such as the Invert World section and bonus levels. Much of the newer levels being added were in mind for a mobile version and more objective based gameplay.

Whilst the bonus levels don’t have much story, there is a bit of thought behind each of the characters. For a period I had been playing about with a mobile version, building it up from the beginning and focusing on small levels and a series of stories. I have a few character ideas in mind and liked the idea of having small levels similar to the Invertical bonus levels but they’d be linked together. Many of my designs were about unique gameplay as well, including runner levels and very different puzzle styles.

I released a “proper game”!

However when meeting the chaps from Hunted Cow they were keen to get involved and helped bring the original Invertical to mobile with a port the more desirable option than a long term project. Working on Invertical Touch has been an interesting project as the standard has been much higher. The artwork provided by Hunted Cow gave the game a whole new look and whilst it was sad to see Simon depart and his backstory fade, Qube is cute and the game had a lot more polish. It was a proper game! The first time that I’ve really felt that.

So far Invertical Touch hasn’t had the success we’d hoped, which was absolutely crushing, but the market is a lottery and there’s some cool changes coming. I’m still determined to make a success out of Invertical! This is partly because of the money invested but mainly to share my idea and passion for the project. Maybe once my current projects are done then I can make the Invertical game that I’ve really wanted!

If you’re interested in knowing more about the development, read more articles on Invertical and if you manage to 100% the PC version of the game there’s a hidden extra.

I am absolutely delighted to announce that Invertical Touch has been released on iPhone and iPad!

Published by Hunted Cow, Invertical Touch takes the innovative, challenging and enjoyable gameplay of the PC title Invertical and takes it to a new level with the incredible new artwork by Hunted Cow.

With 60 levels across 10 unique chapters and loads of collectibles there’s plenty gameplay to keep you amused. The puzzle solving platform gameplay will also put your mind to the test as you try to figure out your route through the levels and how to find all the books and scrolls.

The unique and charming puzzle platform game Invertical has been updated with a number of improvements.

Art Pass
The graphics have been tweaked slightly to give a slightly lower contrast, a bit more detail here and there. You’ll also see that now instead of the black borders at the side of the screen there is a grey pattern.

Level Design
The true enjoyment of Invertical is trying to figure out your route. Whilst the game needs some platforming challenge, aspects of it were maybe a little too hard. Now the more complex platforming elements have been simplified. Make no mistake though, this is still a tough game to complete! Especially if you try to collect all the books and scrolls! If you’ve had difficulty getting past a certain level, get the update and see if you can complete it now.

Controls: New controller support and improved control system.

Movement: You’ll no longer come to a stop when you land. Keep on running!

Living in the land of Treat is wonderful. There’s cakes, chocolate and ice cream in abundance. Unfortunately getting around isn’t all that easy. Sometimes the only way is to switch to the Trick dimension where ghosts, skeletons, witches and other evil characters are out to get you.

Can you switch between dimensions to find all the items in this platform game that combines exploration and puzzle solving?

Originally released last year as a Halloween themed Invertical spin off, Trick or Treat has been given some love in the form of bug fixes, new artwork and other improvements then released on Android. Costing absolutely nothing, you can enjoy it today for free on Android.

PC gamers can also download it for free with all the latest improvements.

With further updates to come, Trick or Treat should continue to evolve over the coming month into an short but enjoyable game to get you in the halloween spirit. If you’ve enjoyed it, why not pick up Invertical on Desura?

The latest update to Invertical is now available with loads of new content as well as a host of improvements!

Better Control
Invertical now supports controller input. It has been designed to work with the Xbox controller but ought to be compatible with most game controllers, however the button layout may not be quite so logical. For many people using a controller is a more natural experience so if you’re uncomfortable with using the keyboard controls, this is for you. So long as you have a controller plugged in before launching the game you can freely switch between using the keyboard or controller. On the note of keyboard controls, you can now use the Up key to jump and down key to invert. This way if you’ve a large keyboard or for the younger gamer, smaller hands, this means less stretching!

New Start
The very first level has been completely changed. It will now introduce the player to the gameplay concepts of how and when to invert, rather than training the player on jumping. I’ve also changed the artwork so it is a little less of an assault on the eyes.

Unlock bonus levels

Bonus Levels
There are 150 collectible items within the many levels of Invertical, but why do you need to collect them? Well now you have an answer. Collecting all the books and scrolls in the chapter will unlock a unique bonus level. These levels have an extra objective to complete along the way, such as arming up to scare away a monster or retrieving Mrs Gragglepot’s cats.

Exploration
The old Great Big World has been replaced by a new area called The Invert World. Here you will find 15 rooms to explore and lots of books and scrolls to collect. Unlocked when you complete the main story, it is an extra area to potter around in and release your inner urge to collect.

Alternate Ending
In the previous version of Invertical there was a right and wrong answer once you caught the final portal. This meant that you might not unlock the Invert World (or Great Big World as it used to be). Now this has been changed to an alternate ending that explores Simon’s character.

Getting to Know Simon
Simon has always longed for adventure, much like many of us (partly why I play games!) but what would you do if thrust into this situation? Would you suddenly become a hero or cower in a corner? The introduction to each level has been expanded to explore this and give you a greater insight into Simon’s state of mind.

And Much More!
If I keep going this post will be far too long but there’s been many more improvements. From fine tuning levels to an improved front end, you’ll find Invertical is a much better experience than before… and it was already a fun game to begin with!

Buy it now!
You can buy the latest version of Invertical from IndieCity for just £1.49. If you’ve previously bought the game on there just use the IndieCity client to update it!

Unfortunately the re-release of Invertical may be a little behind schedule.

I had hoped to release the massive new update to Invertical very soon and whilst I’m 99.9% happy with it, there’s a crash bug in the software that I use for developing Invertical that is preventing me from creating new builds & testing. Once its fixed I’ll be able to verify everything is fixed, create a new build and release it. I wouldn’t feel comfortable releasing knowing there’s a couple of bugs that I’d want fixing.I am also travelling for a short while and this will no doubt delay release a bit further. Not much I can do about these hold ups I’m afraid!

Regarding X-Orbtek II, that is in the final stages with the XBLIG version hopefully available in the next few weeks and the PC one around the same time.

Invertical is a unique and very enjoyable puzzle platform game where you will have to invert your colour between black and white to open up new routes.

Invert your colour

The monochrome art style gives the game a simpl yet charming feel whilst giving a clear indication of the platforms. As with the full game, you will encounter several different themed areas with books and scrolls to collect. If you manage to find them all then you will unlock a special bonus level!

Bonus levels are new to Invertical and provide a nice new gameplay variation.

At just under 9Mb it is quick download and no installation is required.

Whilst work on X-Orbtek II is going at a pretty solid rate, the remake of Invertical has slowed down a little bit… after all there’s only so many hours in the day (curse you day job and sleep!). However there has been progress and I’m hoping on looking at a June re-release of Invertical with the Linux version out just after (or at the same time!).

With the new levels all built, just needing plenty playtesting & bug fixing, my coding focus now switches to the user interface. One of the key things that I’ll be introducing is a pause menu. This will include a few options that you can toggle and the option to skip the level.

The original intention here was to be for players who have already completely the chapter and are replaying for collectibles, or just the fun of it. However I’m rather tempted to just have it as an option all the time. On many games I have came across that one level, jump, puzzle or bad guy that I can’t beat. As a result I may have stopped playing and that isn’t a particularly great situation. The game developer has all this great content in the game yet I’m blocked from accessing it over one bit of gameplay. I’d hate for that to occur in Invertical.

On the other side of things, if I’m allowing players to just skip through the game then surely that devalues that whole achievement of playing through a game? The skill requirement and challenge is what makes players better at the game as well as providing satisfaction when they win.

Could this be a bad move or will it allow players to experience more of the unique and interesting levels in Invertical that they otherwise might not get to play?